Why the Philippine Digital Strategy 2011 – 2016 should be scrapped

Internet Map: World Connection Density (click to enlarge)

The Commission on Information and Communications Technology recently published the Philippine Digital Strategy 2011 to 2016. The first indication that the CICT doesn’t understand the situation is indicative in its SWOT test. This isn’t to say, “Internet for all”, isn’t a good end goal. It is to say that there is no clear strategy to get there based on the Philippine Digital Strategy.

Philippine Digital Strategy SWOT test (Click to enlarge)

What it is though, is trying to create a network for the government. To quote the PDS, it wants the Spectrum Fees collected by the NTC to be used to fund the Universal Access and Service Fund. What this does is essentially pay for the Government’s Broadband Infrastructure, which essentially is a variation of a “national broadband”.

“A UASF uses a transparent, accountable and competitive mechanism to allocate this finance (also called smart subsidies). Private sector entities who may be interested in supplying broadband Internet service to unserved communities will be invited to submit bids in response to a request for proposal (RFP). The party asking for the least subsidy – either because it has the most efficient technology and business plan or because it is investing more of its own capital – will be declared the winner.

The UASF could fund the following items:

Broadband infrastructure, both backbone and access network and the subsequent service provision;

Broadband connections for elementary and high schools in collaboration with DepED;

Broadband connections for prioritized rural hospitals and health centers in collaboration with the DoH;

Broadband connections for existing and newly created CeCs, including a limited time of operational support if required until the CeCs are expected to become financially self-sustaining;

Does this translate to funding from the Government to pay for the needs of Elementary and High Schools or Hospitals? It doesn’t make sense when these entities are supposedly devolved from the national government. Take for instance, a hospital under the DOH pays for its own operating expenses. Part of being independent translates to being able to determine what capital expenditure they will need, and operating expenses, correct? So their ICT strategy ought to be focused on the local level, correct?

As for the COMELEC, shouldn’t their ICT awareness and training come from their own budget? As does their poll automation funding?

The PDS line of thinking comes from the fact it doesn’t understand the situation, and the needs of the future.

The significance of broadband to an economy is like the significance of a road, a highway, a railway, a seaport, an airport and power plants. A nation living in the 21st Century can not do business when its network infrastructure is crappy.

Creative industries that according to recent reports indicate an explosion of 50 percent in the next few years. And yet the global consumption of media— driven by creativeness— is entirely digital. Everything from Books to movies to music; from entertainment to serious work is driven entirely by the Internet. This is why Netflix is growing. This is why the Bloomberg alternative, StockTwits TV is growing. This is why there is a whole “television” network called Twit is growing. This makes possible, Blackberry email that is so well loved in Government and Business and it rely on Research and Motion servers.

Everything hinges on the Internet. Not just the creation of content, but the availability of the tools to create this content is facilitated by the Internet. Final Cut Pro X for example is available on the Mac Apps Store and it is several gigabytes of download. Not only that, Software used to create mobile advertising, write mobile applications are downloaded off the Internet.

The South Korean model

The South Korean broadband model seems to be the best in the world. This is something Filipinos ought to borrow. What has South Korea done? Essentially the government invested in providing for the network. It was a public-private partnership. It help build the Broadband Infrastructure just as America built their interstate highway.

The government has to first recognize the value of Broadband. It has to first see that Broadband is an essential component of the economy. It has to first see that broadband is as important as a highway that connects Manila and Batangas. It is as important as having Caticlan International Airport make Boracay accessible to tourists.

If the NTC has two billion in funds annually on spectrum fees then it ought to go back into building broadband internet in the Philippines, which actually serves everyone. It goes without saying that two billion pesos in annual spectrum fees won’t be enough to help setup a real deal broadband network in the Philippines. In fact, South Korea spent over thirty trillion won in building its broadband network. In US Dollars it is approximately 30 billion. In Philippine terms, it is in the neighborhood of over 1.4 trillion pesos. That would upgrade existing South Korean network to 1 Gigabit per second download. South Koreans currently enjoy 100Mbit/s speed.

The Philippine norm is 1MB/s.

Obviously, various stakeholders have to sit together to plan the network; to build the infrastructure and the costs of course would be different from the South Korean.

What reframing public policy into thinking that Broadband is a key economic driver does several things. First, a true Philippine interconnection could be accomplished between the various service providers. Second, a plan could now be put in place to have multiple network access from the Philippines, and going to elsewhere. Third, it can help facilitate building of broadband infrastructure in provincial areas where it might not be economically viable to setup shop.

Other key elements missing

Getting the government to reframe its thinking that Broadband is an economic driver is part of the solution to drive a Philippine Digital Strategy.

1. It also needs to look into allegations that Broadband providers enter into exclusive agreements with Local Government Units. To put it in another way, there must be real, honest to goodness free market happening on the ground.

2. If you want to drive Computer literacy; to make the Internet prevalent then you have to get the digital devices to be really accessible. Computers, tablets, mobile phones, network infrastructure shouldn’t be taxed too much.

3. The government also needs to clean up the power sector. Why the power sector? Well, how else could you drive technology without electricity? How else could you get businesses to invest in knowledge-based, in creative industries when the electricity these machines run on is expensive?

4. The government also needs to focus on getting content creators in the Philippines. It shouldn’t stop at the BPO sector because as much as the BPO sector gets people to have jobs, we need to have an environment where animators can survive. We need to have an environment where scientists and labs could be grown. We need to have an environment where ebook publishing could thrive, and where music, movies and television programs could readily be purchased.

President Aquino recently dissolved the Commission on Information and Communications Technology. It is my hope that what the government replaces it with is an agency that is forward thinking, non-political and essentially knows what are the problems, and how to solve them. It is clear that the Philippine Digital Strategy as it stands today doesn’t understand the needs of tomorrow. The essential idea of “Internet for all” is great. The PDS doesn’t have the strategy to make sure that “Internet for all” actually happens. What it is in a nutshell is a government-centric network.

Cocoy Dayao

Cocoy is the Chief Technology Officer of Lab Rats Technica, a Digital Consulting company that specialises in DevOps, iOS, and Web Apps, E-Commerce sites, Cybersecurity and Social Media consulting. He is a technology enthusiast, political junkie and social observer who enjoys a good cup of coffee, comic books, and tweets as @cocoy on twitter.

1. It also needs to look into allegations that Broadband providers enter into exclusive agreements with Local Government Units. To put it in another way, there must be real, honest to goodness free market happening on the ground.

> this is part of Key Actions for e-governance

I did not see CICT in the General Appropriations Act, it maybe under DOST or DOTC but not specific as a line item… The E-government fund was 2010 P290,617,057,000 and P1,190,000,000 in 2011 according to the general appropriations act.

i quickly scanned the General Appropriations Act of 2010 and 2011, CICT doesnt have its own budget.. it maybe under DOST or DOCT, but not specifically as a line item.

the E-governance fund however was P290,617,075,000 in 2010 and P1,190,000,000 in 2011

Justine Castillo (YPS)

Hi! I dont think PDS should be scrapped but enhanced. from your explanation, either the government does not understand BROADBAND or the Commissioner did not want to push the envelope and ask the President to provide for Broadband connection. PDS only (not even directly) wanted to proposed that the Philippine Government extend connectivity where the Private Sector does not want to go because of its not cost-effective.

PDS is already asking for eGovernance and availability of government information through a Citizen Internet Portal. It is already pushing the envelope… and what did the President do? it scrapped CICT! IF you remember, this is actually Goal 1. Step 1.

And their reason is FUNDING.. now how do we get them to look at this broadband scenario? given the 7000 islands?

Issues about the Internet For All Access portion of the PDS is not enough reason to scrap the PDS. The 3 other areas, ICT 4 education, regional development and egovernance are all valuable. And besides the PDS is a strategy that will not entail budget from the government unless each implementing agencies including private organizations like us can come up with our action plans to implement the strategies under the PDS. The PDS was not created by the CICT but was created by all the stakeholders. You don’t need to scrap it – we can do it. Regional development can be done as we have done with no expense from the government. Thanks.

J_ag

Unfortunately the move to embrace third wave technology in a country that has not even enjoyed the fruits of first wave and second wave technological evolution is going to be impossible.

Aspirations are fine but the reality hurts and most are still clueless.

A country like the Philippines cannot leapfrog agricultural and industrial development into the third tier of services development that is wholly premised on more leisure time and shorter working hours.

The challenges of the world according to Keynes are compound interest, technology and leisure time.

Right now in the financial markets there is brewing talk about a bubble in the explosion of social networking offerings.

For a country that still needs to feed its own people priorities are necessary.

The country is still a highly indebted country. While the BSP boasts of having almost $70B in dollar reserves on one side it also announces that it has accounting of over $60 billion in foreign debt held by non-residents.

It does not count resident holders of debt denominated in foreign currencies lent to the national government and private corporations.

It also does not include the equity positions held by foreigners in the private sector whose profit and capital repatriations make the Philippines foreign debt dependent .

The ProPinoy Project

The ProPinoy Project is a Global Community Center for all things Pinoy, to connect Filipinos at home and abroad by creating a space for ideas, trends and analyses about the Philippines and the global Pinoy community to inspire informed discussion and transformative action.

The ProPinoy Project is a Global Community Center for all things Pinoy, to connect Filipinos at home and abroad by creating a space for ideas, trends and analyses about the Philippines and the global Pinoy community to inspire informed discussion and transformative action.